Secretary of State Frontrunner Susan Rice: 4 Things You Need to Know

It looks like Susan Rice, US ambassador to the UN, is the rumored top pick to replace Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Washington insiders say Massachusetts Senator John Kerry is also being considered for the cabinet spot, but it's Rice they believe is most likely to land the coveted gig.

So right about now, a lot of people are wondering who the heck this woman is. What are her qualifications? What is her background? And why do Republicans hate her so much? We have the answers. Here is everything you need to know about the person who may take Hillary's post.

She is whip smart. The DC native attended Stanford University, where she became a Harry Truman scholar, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and earned a Rhodes scholarship. Later, she also enrolled at the University of Oxford in England, where she earned her masters and doctorate in international relations.

She has paid her dues. Rice began her government career in 1993 with the National Security Council as director of international organizations and peacekeeping. After a recommendation from her mentor Madeleine Albright, she became the assistant secretary for African affairs under President Clinton.

The Republicans have it out for her. They take issue with her initial reaction to the attack on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya. With the intelligence she had at the time, she wrongly characterized it as a protest over an anti-Muslim video. "We will do whatever is necessary to block the nomination that's within our power as far as Susan Rice is concerned," Senator John McCain has said. Added South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, "I don't trust her."

Barack has got her back. "If Sen. McCain and Sen. Graham and others want to go after somebody, they should go after me," Obama told reporters. "And I'm happy to have that discussion with them. But for them to go after the UN ambassador, who had nothing to do with Benghazi and was simply making a presentation based on intelligence that she had received and to besmirch her reputation is outrageous."